He maintains that he is still in Blink-182

He maintains that he is still in Blink-182

Estevan Oriol/Getty Images

One main cause for concern for Tom DeLonge is that he feels the rest of the band didn't tell or ask him if they could continue on with the Blink-182 name, perhaps getting permission to replace him with another musician. He told RS:

"I don't work on ego. It doesn't define me. Is it awkward and weird? Yeah. Does part of me get bummed? Totally. But it doesn't consume me. I'm doing some of the best stuff I've ever been involved in. People look in and they go, 'How could you walk away from something like that?' or 'How could you not get so pissed?' Well, because I'm more than that.

"I love those guys. The only thing I think about is, I want them to be happy. [But] I don't want the legacy of the band to get fucked with. I do care about that. I don't want an incredible legacy to be ruined. I'm not opposed to it. I still would be interested, if people would just pick up the phone and call."

About a few weeks pass and DeLonge called up RS, adding, "I am currently in the band." What?

...But he continues to be the dude he was then.

"Although Blink wrote about serious topics like teen suicide and divorce, DeLonge still can't shake his goofball persona. Recently, a fan sent him a book to autograph, asking him to 'draw a dick, please.' (He did.)"

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Tension between Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus goes way back

Tension between Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus goes way back

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

Apparently all the way back to 2004, at least, when DeLonge refused to commit to a big tour. He admits:

"The band has always been dysfunctional. The only time we all really communicated daily was in Blink's first, sort of, trimester."

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In 2005, at the start of Angels & Airwaves, DeLonge kicked a nasty pill habit

In 2005, at the start of Angels & Airwaves, DeLonge kicked a nasty pill habit

"Narcotics are demons," DeLonge told Rolling Stone. "It was such an insane thing to go through ... I never want to land there again." Apparently he was only able to kick the habit after spending five full days vomiting on the floor of his house.

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He's working closely with government officials

He's working closely with government officials

Josh Giroux

...And apparently it's one of the reasons he was so taken aback when Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker of Blink-182 announced that he had quit the band—he was much too busy working on top secret stuff!

"I couldn't tell the band I was working with people in the government That's another big part of this story. People think I want to just put out a novel and make a movie. I have 10 people that I'm working with that are at the highest levels of the Department of Defense and NASA and the military. Big shit, and no one knows this. I'm doing all this stuff already."

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He's life is now about, well, life. Music comes after.

He's life is now about, well, life. Music comes after.

Rebecca Sapp/WireImage

Tom DeLonge is clearly still nostalgic for Blink, but knows his life is in a different place now. He said:

"I keep talking about Blink—we're not supposed to talk about Blink. Quality of life comes first here. Music is secondary. I take my kids to school, I pick them up. I'm not traveling and missing baseball games."

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